Balance
by Topaz Tsubasa
Summary: He didn't know how she did it, "If you're darkness and I'm light, then there can't be any me without you, right?" But she always managed to light up his world. NxM Unknown Pain and Topaz Tsubasa collab Oneshot.


Written by** Topaz Tsubasa** and **Unknown Pain**.

**Topaz:** Just to show you guys that I'm not dead, just a sitting duck with writer's block in a country different from my own. And that yes, Unknown Pain's hiatus will end soon. I'm currently in a random country in the Caribbean, where it's hot and humid as anything and it totally destroys my mind. Helping write this was a complete miracle. While writing this I sorta imagined that night-time meetings like this one happened often, just that this one's outcome was a little different.

**Unknown:** We don't own Gakuen Alice. … Our dream came never true.. T_T

He pressed his back further against the trunk of the tree, his eyes on the cherry-blossoms.

This was his favorite tree.

This was where he could be alone, where he could find peace.

This was where he could always find _her_, always waiting for _him_.

He always had claimed the tree as his.

But not long ago, _they_ had claimed it as _theirs_.

What a girl could do with his feelings, with his _heart_…

He parted his lips as he recalled the words that Persona said to him.

"_Fa__lling in love is a stupid thing."_ Was it really...? Was it really stupid to fall in love with someone who made you _forget_ about the horrors you saw, who made you _see_ light in the endless world of darkness, who made you _smile_?

"_You'__ll only hurt her…"_ Would he?

He furrowed his eyebrows, his lips into a thin line. He pressed the back of his head against the trunk: yes. Yes, maybe Persona was right.

The way he lived… The world of darkness… did she want to be a part of it?

He closed his eyes. No. Of course not. She was pure. She wasn't tainted like him; she was his opposite and if he let her see what he saw every day, that would change in a flash.

The last thing he wanted was to turn her into someone like _himself_.

There was no place for an angel in his world of nightmares.

He bit his lip. Self-hatred and anger could be felt, the tears urging to slide down his cold cheeks.

There was no such thing as him obtaining the _light_ to his _darkness_.

The wind rustled through the leaves, nearly concealing the footsteps he knew belonged to _her_, as she made her way toward him. He'd always be able to tell it was her, even if they were miles apart in a sea of masks.

Because she was light and he was darkness.

She sat next to him in her night time pajamas and his heightened senses could detect her sweet, clean smell in the air.

He didn't turn to look at her, but he knew she was smiling that smile of hers, the one that never failed to radiate light into his darkness every time.

He must have waited too long to react, because she immediately knew something was wrong.

"Neh, Natsume, what's the matter?"

When he didn't answer, she asked again. His heart hurt when he realized the smile in her voice was gone. Because he took it away.

"If you won't tell me, I'll leave."

He still kept silent and she stood up. Before one foot could go in front of the other, he shot his hand out and grabbed her wrist.

"Stay," he said, eyes digging into hers.

He didn't miss the triumphant gleam in her eye as she sat back down, this time closer to him. Heh. So she did it on purpose. She really did know him too well.

"So you'll tell me?" She asked again.

He took a breath. Two. Then he said, "I'm darkness and you're light." He didn't elaborate any further. She still understood anyway.

"So…you're afraid you'll 'taint' me?" He looked away. She smiled softly and took his hand in hers. "Grandpa once said 'there can't be any darkness without light, and there can't be any light without darkness.' If you're darkness and I'm light, then there can't be any me without you, right? We'll balance each other out." Her smile grew as she talked until it lit up her whole face, and the ice barb Persona's words left in his heart melted.

Her light had pierced his darkness. She lit up his world and gave him a reason to live. And his lips showed her just that as they swooped down to meet hers.

**Note:** "Sea of Masks" refers to how on New Years in the old times, like in 19th century France, people would wear masks like a masquerade and go out on the streets and party. Nice, right?


End file.
